Health literacy among older persons in Turkey

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the health literacy and cognitive functions of individuals age 65 and over and the relationship between them. Method: The research was conducted between September 2016 and February 2017, among individuals age 65 and over, at the Family Health Center. The participants were given the Health Literacy Survey - European Union (HLS-EU) scale and the Mini-Mental Test. Results: In this sampling, health literacy was found as "problematic or inadequate" in 85.1% of the elderly population. Among the health literacy issues, rate of "problematic-inadequate" results was 63.5% in benefiting from health services, 86.9% in protection from diseases, and 87.6% in improvement of health. The issues that older persons feel most inadequate were adult vaccinations and periodic examinations and they felt sufficient in terms of what to do in emergency cases. Conclusion: The older population needs support in health literacy issues particularly related to judgments. It would be appropriate to set up a standard care algorithm in older people.